PICARDY
a
short regional guide

From its short coastline on the Channel, at the
mouth of the river Somme, to a brief border with southern
Belgium,
Picardy is a region that has been at the heart of European history for
well over a thousand years. Its importance is reflected in its historic
heritage - including some of the finest mediaeval cathedrals in France,
some impressive chateaux, and many sites and memories of the
Great War

A
guide to Picardy and its tourist attractions

Picardy - or Picardie as it is written in French - consists of three
departments, the Oise (60),
capital Beauvais; the Aisne
(02) capital Laon, and the Somme
(60), whose capital Amiens, is also the regional capital. In historic
terms, the southern part of this modern region, including virtually all
of the Oise department, was not part of the Province of Picardy, but
was added to the region when it was created in the twentieth century.
Lying in the historic centre of action
of western
Europe, in the triangle between Paris, Amsterdam and London, Picardy is
an area with a very rich history. It was in this part of France that
were fought some of the most famous battles of French and European
history, notably the battle of Crécy, and the
battle of the
Somme. And in the course of the last thousand years, areas that are now
part of modern region of Picardy have been ruled over at different
times by the English, the Habsburgs, the Spanish and the French.

Laon
cathedral (12th century) , and city ramparts

In past centuries,
the region was
relatively prosperous; its productive farmlands, including a large
expanse of flat or relatively flat land, created wealth in local towns
and cities, a wealth now reflected in the many fine gothic churches and
cathedrals of the region.
In modern economic
terms, Picardy is a region that is divided quite distinctly into two
areas. The department of the Oise and the southern tip of the Aisne, in
the south of the region, are economically attached to the Paris region;
towns like Beauvais, Chantilly and Compiègne, though towns
in their own
right, form part of the outer circle of suburban Paris, with many
people commuting from here into Paris. Even Amiens, the regional
capital, is sufficiently close by commuter train to be home to many
people working in Paris; though in the case of Amiens, which is an
industrial and commercial city, people commute both ways.
As for the northern part of the region,
including
the departments of the Somme and most of the Aisne, these areas are
largely agricultural. Agriculture in the region is particularly
centered on cereals and crops. And while cereal production is the the
principal agricultural activity of the region, Picardy is also the
leading French region for the production of sugar beet (37% of
total national production), France being the world's largest
producer of sugar beet.

Reaching
Picardy :

By train
from Paris Gare du Nord , or from Lille, Calais or BoulogneBy car
from the UK: the easiest way is to cross to Calais, then drive down
either of the motorways in the direction of Paris or Reims. Whether
taking the A16, the A26 or the A1 motorway, drivers driving south from
Calais will find themselves in Picardy within an hour.
By plane:
Beauvais has an airport with direct low-cost flights from the UK.
Otherwise, Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport is just a few
kilometres from the southern limits of the Picardy region.

Main
tourist attractions and
sites in Picardy

Somme area

Albert,
Thiepval (80): Sites and monuments to the victims of the
Great War, notably the Battle of the Somme. (see WW1 sites and map).
There are many more First World War sites and monuments in Picardy

Amiens
(80): One of the finest of the main mediaeval gothic
cathedrals of France.

Baie
de Somme (80):
important wetland area at the mouth of the river somme, famous for its
wildlife (bird sanctuary).
there is also a small steam railway popular
with tourists.

Aisne area

Corbeny,
near Laon (02): Caverne du Dragon - system of
underground caves and workings used by troops on both sides in the
First World War

Guise
(02): Le
Familistère Godin. Like Titus Salt's Saltaire or Owen's New
Lanark,
Godin's cooperative Familistère is a major example of a
social housing
project set up by an enlightened manufacturer for his workers, during
the Industrial Revolution.

Laon
(02): Attractive
old walled city perched on a hilltop overlooking the surrounding
plains. Fine early gothic cathedral (1150-1180) with remarkable
stained-glass windows; there is a funicular
railway from the train station up to the town hall.

St.
Quentin (02):
small town famous for its gothic basilica, largely rebuilt after the
first world war. Also famed for its ensemble of art-nouveau buildings,
also put up during the post WW1 rebuilding. The Musée
Lécuyer has a
major collection of works by the 18th century portraitist Quentin
Latour.

Thiérache
(02): A large number of 16th century fortified churches
grace
small towns and villages in this rural area. Several signposted tourist
trails.

Oise area

Beauvais
(60): the
tallest of the great gothic cathedrals that were built in mediaeval
France. Planned as the greatest cathedral in France, Beauvais cathedral
was never completed; but the part that was built (the choir and the
transept) is extremely impressive.

Chantilly
(60):
Magnificent chateau, rebuilt in the 19th century; the chateau houses a
museum, and is set in fine gardens and parkland that includes a famous
racecourse.

Compiègne
(60).
The Clairière de l'Armistice; the site of the signing of the
1918
Armistice, that put an end to the first world war. Reproduction of the
railway carriage in which the Armistice was signed.

Compiègne
(60). Chateau de Compiègne, fine 18th century
royal
residence.

Picardy
,
lying between Paris and the Pas de Calais area, is a relatively unknown
region of France, even for the French. Though it is a historic province
of northern France, and though it has attractive countryside as well as
historic towns and cities and is not far from Paris, from Belgium and
from the UK, it is not one of the great tourist regions of France.
Even so, there are plenty of places to visit in
Picardy-
from major historic sites including some of France's finest
medieval cathedrals and the battlefields of the First World War, to
fine châteaux and old towns ..... not forgetting the famous
Asterix
theme park near Chantilly.